Windows Set Private Network Profile via Registry: endpointEndpoint2025-08-06version:1
The following analytic detects attempts to modify the Windows Registry to change a network profile's category to "Private", which may indicate an adversary is preparing the environment for lateral movement or reducing firewall restrictions. Specifically, this activity involves changes to the Category value within the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles\{GUID} registry path. A value of 1 corresponds to a private network profile, which typically enables less restrictive firewall policies. While this action can occur during legitimate network configuration, it may also be a sign of malicious behavior when combined with other indicators such as suspicious account activity, unexpected administrative privilege usage, or execution of unsigned binaries. Monitoring for this registry modification—especially outside standard IT processes or correlated with persistence mechanisms—can help identify stealthy post-exploitation activity.
Windows Certutil Root Certificate Addition: endpointEndpoint2025-08-06version:1
The following analytic detects the use of certutil.exe to add a certificate to the Root certificate store using the -addstore root command. In this case, the certificate is loaded from a temporary file path (e.g., %TEMP%), which is highly suspicious and uncommon in legitimate administrative activity. This behavior may indicate an adversary is installing a malicious root certificate to intercept HTTPS traffic, impersonate trusted entities, or bypass security controls. The use of flags such as -f (force) and -Enterprise, combined with loading .tmp files from user-writable locations, is consistent with post-exploitation activity seen in credential theft and adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) attacks. This should be investigated immediately, especially if correlated with unauthorized privilege use or prior certificate modifications.You should monitor when new certificates are added to the root store because this store is what your system uses to decide which websites, apps, and software can be trusted. If an attacker manages to add their own certificate there, they can silently intercept encrypted traffic, impersonate trusted websites, or make malicious programs look safe. This means they could steal sensitive data, bypass security tools, and keep access to your system even after other malware is removed. In simple terms, adding a rogue root certificate gives attackers a master key to your trust system — and if it goes unnoticed, the impact could be a complete compromise of your security.
